Universal speed wrench



Dec. 7, 1948. N. MIKELSON 2,455,434

- UNIVERSAL SPEED WRENCH Filed March 24, 1947 gum;

54 {Jill 52 yr 59 55 M E56 INVENTOR. fl/araa/ Ni/fe/san BY v wig/

FITTOR/VEY Patented Dec. 7, 1948 UNITED STATES 'PATENT QFFFCE UNIVERSALSPEED WRENCH Nordal Mikelson, Yankton, S. Dak.

Application March 24, 1947, Serial No. 736,878

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to a Wrench.

An object of my invention is to provide a wrench type of tool, whichincludes readily adjustable means whereby the wrench can be made to turneither in a clockwise, or counter-clockwise direction as desired bymerely sliding a collar attached to the device forwardly and backwardly.

A further object of my invention is to provide means whereby the toolmay be usedfor valve grinding or similar operations, or where the toolwill rotate in both directions, by using the same collar.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for attaching avariety of tools to the end of the wrench, such as a screw driver,socket wrench, drill, or other tools employing a rotary motion.

A further object of my invention is to provide the above mentionedobjects in a simple construction, which can be manufactured at areasonable cost.

With these and other objects in view, my in vention consists in theconstruction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of mydevice, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinaftermore fully set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tool in its vertical position,

Figure 2- is a sectional detail of the sleeve handle,

Figure 3 is a further detail,

Figure 4 is a detail looking at the rear of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a detail showing the attaching clip attached to the unit,and

Figure 6 is a detail of the attaching clip.

I have used the character it to designate an. upper handle portionincludin a pin 5 l received in an annular slot l2 which slot is formedin the extended portion I3 of the member It, the portion l3 being freelyrevoluble within the handle I0.

Rigidly attached at I5 to the portion 14 is the substantiall lengthenedrod l6 which includes the spiral pitched threads ll. The member IE5terminates at l8 in a U-shaped portion l 9 having the recess 28. Mountedwithin the recess 2?) is a member 2|, a pin 22 securing the member H tothe portion l9. A small spring urged ball 23 is normally used to bearagainst a depression in the member 2| to lock it in place after thenecessary tool is installed. The member 2| extends into the portion 24which includes a further small sp ing urged ball 25 to firmly receiveand engage the socket portion 25 of the tool to be used, and attached tothe portion 28, is in one instance as shown, the socket wrench 2'!having the usual hexagon, or square depression 28 to properly engage abolt or nut.

Other tools can be used with the arrangement, and as will be explainedlater, such as the valve grinding tool 23 having the valve grindingprongs 30, such being attached to the same type of socket 28, and beingattached to the tool as above described. The character 35 indicates atwist drill, and the character 32 a screw driver, these tools beingattached to the socket as shown.

A cylindrical handle sleeve 33- includes a pair of members 34 attachedinteriorly thereof, and at the ends thereof, by means of suitable screws35, the members 34 including the ratchet teeth in opposed relation toeach other as shown in Figure 2. A further member 3? is engaged at 353with the pitchedspiral threads ll, and the member 31 includes ratchetteeth 35 which are adapted to engage the teeth 34. The member 3'! alsoincludes an annular channel til.

Attached at M by means of screws or any other suitable method is anarcuate plate 42 which includes an opening 43 having the end notches i land a central notch 45. A slidable keeper member (see Fig; 3) 46 ispositioned beneath the arcuate plate 42 and includes the outwardlyextending pin 4'! adapted to be received within any one of the notches44 or 55. A spring id is attached at 49 directly to the member 32 andincludes a portion 50 bearing against the member 46, yet allowing themember it to be placed in any desired position due to the slidableaction of the member 46 with respect to the portion The member 46includes a downwardly extending boss 5| which normally is adapted to bereceived within the channel 40 of the member 3i, and yet being ofsmaller diameter than the Width of the channel 40 to allow the ratchetto engage in one direction and release in the other.

The outer sleeve 33 also includes an opening 52 (see Fig. 4) which isdirectly opposite to the arcuate plate 42 or at the other side of thesleeve. The opening 52 is adapted to communicate with a further opening53 which opening 53 is within the channel portion 46 and extends throughthe same. An arcuate spring member 54 in some cases as will later beexplained is adapted to snugly engage the sleeve 33, and includes a pin55 which passes through the opening 52 and into the opening 53.

The device is used in the following manner. In

3 operating the tool, the handle I I] is held with one hand while thesleeve 33 is held with the other hand, and this sleeve 33 isreciprocated back and forth along the rod l6. For obtaining rotation ineither direction, the small pin 4'! is placed in either one of thenotches 44. For instance, as shown in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, the pin41 has been placed in the lower-most notch 44. This correspondinglybrings the lower teeth 39 of the ratchet in engagement with the teeth 36of the lower member 34. Since the spiral threads I! of the rod l6 areengaged with the member 37; as the sleeve 33 is reciprocated back andforth along the rod I6, the rod IE will turn in one direction onlyduring one part of the stroke but will be released in the otherdirection during the other part of the stroke. since the boss isslightly smaller as explained than the width of the channel 48 whichallows the teeth 39 and 36 to become disengaged during the reverseaction, but firmly grips and rotates the tool during the other stroke.It will be understood that the movement of the pin 47 carries the keeper46 and the boss 5| with which to move the above mentioned member 31.

When it is desired to obtain rotation in the other direction only, thepin 41 is placed in the upper notch 44, bringing the upper ratchet teeth39 and 35 into engagement, the reciprocating movement of the sleeve 33causing the power rotation to be effected in the opposite direction aswill be evident from the engagement of the members. In one instance, thepower will be applied during forward motion of the sleeve and in theother instance during rearward motion.

By virtue of this construction any of the tools shown in Figure l withthe exception of the valve grinder, can be used for turning clockwise orcounter-clockwise as desired. This makes the tool readily applicable fora variety of desired condi tions such as right and left hand threads,etc.

For obtaining movement of the tool in both directions during slidableaction of the sleeve 33, the pin 4'! is placed in the central notch 45which carries the member 31 into a neutral position, or out ofengagement with any of the ratchet teeth. Next, the arcuate springmember 54 is snapped on to the sleeve 33 so that the pin 55 engages intothe openings 52 and 53, which correspondingly locks the member 31against rotation with respect to the sleeve 33. Then, when the sleeveisthrust forwardly and backwardly along the rod 16, the engagement of thetwisted threads I! with the member 3'! will cause the rod to rotate inone direction during one portion of the stroke and in the reversedirection during the reverse stroke. For this operation, the valvegrinding tool 29 can This releasing action will occur be used, or anyother tool requiring this type of motion.

It will now be seen that I have provided all of the various advantagesmentioned in the objects of my invention with further other advantagesbeing readily apparent.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of theparts of my invention without departing from the real spirit and purposeof my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claim anymodified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which maybe reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

A tool of the character described, comprising a handle, a lengthened rodhaving a spiral thread thereon, a further handle engaged with saidspiral thread adapted to move said rod in selected direction duringreciprocating motion thereof along said rod, said further handleincluding means for controlling direction of power applied to said rodincluding a pair of stationary ratchet members attached to said furtherhandle, a rotatable ratchet member received in said further handlemember, said spiral thread engaged with said rotatable ratchet member,means for locking said rotatable ratchet member with either of saidstationary ratchet members as desired to provide selected direction ofrotation of the tool, including a guide plate engaged with saidrotatable ratchet member, said further handle including notches, saidguide plate including an extended pin received in any of said notches,end notches providing means for securing said rotatable ratchet againsteither of said stationary ratchets, one of said notches providing aneutral notch, said neutral notch providing means for maintaining saidrotatable ratchet out of engagement with either of said stationaryratchets, means for securing said normally rotatable ratchet againstrotation to provide rotation in both directions of the tool duringreciprocating action of said further handle, said means including aspring clip adapted to snugly receive said further handle member, a pinattached to said spring clip, openings in said further handle and saidnormally rotatable ratchet for receiving said pin.

NORDAL MIKELSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Date

